Joker Town
by Firebird'sDaughter
Summary: Temporarily out of time, the Team and League watch another possible timeline: In the future, the Joker has taken over. And not just Gotham-the whole world. All who opposed him are dead and gone... Or are they? A ragtag band of rebels are throwing more than one wrench into his plans. Just who are the Lost Children? And who is their elusive leader, a certain Mr. J?
1. Atlantis Has Fallen

The basics you need to know to understand what's going on:

Nightwing rejoined the team.

Wally West was resurrected by a pair of dead sorcerers named Stefan and Vladimira Dracov, who sent him to their son in the world of the living, Nikola Dracov. Nikola revealed to Wally that he was an old circus friend of Dick's and that he needed to find him to warn him about something-the two set off to find Nightwing. Along the way, it became clear that Niko not only had actual powers, but that they seemed to be coming from a strange ring he wore. He told Wally that the reason he wanted to warn Dick was that he had seen a vision of the acrobat dying. Unfortunately, they got there a little too late, and Niko didn't get the chance to warn Dick before the latter was killed. Shattered, Niko set about using his strange powers to bring his friend back. Long story short, he succeeds, and ends up joining the team, taking on the name Dark Caster.

A debrief of Niko's powers: The ring is not what **gives** him his powers-it's how he channels them. His family is supposedly descended from a demon of darkness, and each one of their lineage serves as a current for all the Dark Power in the universe, and in order to keep that power contained, they each wear a magical ring. If he were to remove it, he would lose control of his powers, tearing apart the time-space continuum. Niko also has the ability to speak to the (aptly named) 'Dark Powers,' who serve as a manifestation of what gives him his power. They are not exactly sympathetic, but it is in their interests that he lives. His abilities give him powers similar to telepathy that rivals M'gann's. Also, Niko has a crush on M'gann, but refuses to admit it, especially since (thank you to someone on TV Tropes who made me realise this makes sense) he knows she's subconsciously shaping the minds of people around her.

The Team finds **another** genetic experiment called Anima, a young woman who has been infused with animal abilities, giving her strange black marks on her skin. Though she is originally ordered to kill them, she relents, making her own decision to join them. The Team name her Angel Libre, using Anima as her alias, and she develops a large crush on Connor. Unfortunately, as he and M'gann are back together, she's unable to approach him, and because of this, develops a close friendship with La'gaan.

During a battle with Darkseid, two women appeared and turned the tides in the heroes' favour. One of them was a former, Hispanic Navy SEAL with a penchant for explosions, the other a former research student who had been genetically infused with nanobots. They both vanished into the crowd after the victory. Later research by Batman revealed them to be going by the names Firework (the Navy SEAL), and Quantum (the scientist).

The Team found out that there was **another** clone of Roy-except this one was female. Named Raya Harker, she's raised as Lex Luthor's adopted daughter until she discovers the truth, and, with Niko's help, saves the rest of the team from Luthor with a shotgun (Raya had the gun, not Luthor), before running off with the help of the other two Roys because she didn't want to be analysed. She has yet to return, but she made sure the other two would keep in touch with her.

Finally, the reason this story is happening-in an attempt to save everyone's lives, Niko and Dr. Fate transported them temporarily out of time. They end up watching a possible future, like they're watching a movie. And so, the story begins...

One last warning: If you are a die-hard fan of SuperMartian, I tell you now-**I break them up**. For reasons I can't exactly explain, I cannot **stand** the pairing. It just doesn't do it for me. Don't worry, I give them both partners who (in my mind), are pretty goddamn awesome. If that's the only thing preventing you from reading this, then just think of it as a **possible** future. Also, there is no Chalant in here. Sorry. I sort of see them as bygones-be-bygones.

* * *

The sea floor shuddered with a heavy quake, and another followed quickly on the other's heels. The group watched in amazement as Atlantis's bright towers shook, but did not topple. Still, this city was different than before-sleeker, older.

When it wasn't being bombarded by giant submarines.

The hulking machines were currently too far away to topple the city, but the force and power of the shots they were issuing left no doubt that they were entirely capable of it. At the walls of the capital itself, black-clad soldiers were locked in battle with the royal guards.

"Stand your ground, are you soldiers or aren't you?!" Shrieked a female voice as a slim, blue-green figure flitted between the enemies, taking them down with the speed and poise of an expert warrior. She paused, hovering in the water above the wall, long silver-white, tentacle-like hair streaming out behind her, red eyes surveying the battle below.

_ Everyone looked at La'gaan. "Small guess who's kid __**she**__ is." Wally commented._ _Indeed,_ _the resemblance she bore to Lagoon Boy was too clear to ignore._

As they watched, the girl clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes. She enlarged in a fashion similar to the way her father did, crashing down atop a garrison of enemy soldiers, throwing several more out of the way when they charged her. One of them, however, got a blaster behind her, firing just as she turned. The explosion shook the wall, sending hairline cracks through it, and the soldier lowered the blaster.

That was a mistake.

A stream of water flashed out and wrapped around his arm, yanking him sideways and slamming him into the way, hard. He slumped to the ground as the sand cleared, revealing not only La'gaan's daughter, but another girl as well. Tall, strongly built, with dark skin and her hair floating behind her in a thick, blonde braid. Swirling tattoos covered her arms, and she carried a familiar pair of water-bearers.

"Tula!" The first girl cried happily.

"Head in the game, Mera." Tula replied, calling the water back to her. "Those submarines are getting closer." The two looked around at the battle, and something was painfully clear: Atlantis was losing.

Mera frowned. "The outer wall isn't going to last much longer." She told Tula. "We should evacuate the sectors immediately adjacent to it." The other girl, who had to be Kaldur's daughter, nodded.

"Do it. I'll explain to Garth." Mera turned, streaking down to a group of soldiers who were relatively inactive, taking care of their attackers easily.

"You! Begin evacuation of the outer sectors, and do it quickly!" One of the men's mouths twisted.

"Why should I do what you-" With a cry of outrage, Mera grabbed the man by the collar, shaking him and shoving him into the wall.

"Because **I** am the **Acting Lieutenant Commander**, as appointed by the **Lieutenant Commander**, who just so happens to be **my father** who was appointed by the **Commander**, whose **son**, the **Acting Commander**, **requested** my installment! If I tell you to evacuate the outer sectors, you evacuate the outer sectors!" She released the stunned man, who saluted her quickly.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He and his comrades swam off while she returned to the fight.

* * *

_The scene faded, blurring into the palace, which was awash with military officials. Aquaman frowned, folding his arms. "I don't understand. If Atlantis is under attack, where are we?"_

_No one wanted to try and answer_.

"Acting Commander Garth!" One of the men in the hall turned around at the shout. He was similar to appearance to Tula, with slightly shorter hair that reached the edge of his shoulder blades in a ponytail, and pale eyes that stared out of his dark face.

"Report."

"Sir! Acting Lieutenant Mera gave orders to evacuate the outer sectors! She and your sister think that the outermost wall may not hold much longer!" The boy's mouth twisted, but he stayed calm.

"Of course. Obey them as you would me." The soldier nodded and raced off while Garth turned back to the assembled Generals. "It would seem we have another predicament. If they can breach the outer wall, what are the odds that the other walls will stop them?" He looked around. "Gentlemen... I fear we are fighting a losing battle." The doors opened again. With a sigh, Garth turned to face the new arrival, and they were all shocked to see the elderly court advisor.

"My lord Garth," The old woman wheezed urgently, "I have terrible news."

* * *

"Ma'am, the outer sector is clear!"

"Good!" Yelled Mera, turning to Tula. "We need to fall back! The wall's about to come down on top of us!" Tula nodded, whirling to give orders to the troops.

"Fall back to inner wall!" She called, starting an echoing chain of calls of 'Fall back!' and 'Retreat!' Together, the two girls turned and sped away-just as the outer wall came crashing down. To their surprise, they made it back to the second wall mostly intact, regrouping and giving orders. Tula looked at Mera.

"Mera, tell Garth the wall was breached. We need a plan, and we need it an hour ago!" La'gaan's daughter nodded, streaking away again.

* * *

"What? No. No... This-this can't be happening! Not **now**!" Garth was pacing the meeting hall, shaking his head. Finally, he stopped, turning to the advisor with desperation. "What do we do? Without the royal family, who's in charge?" The old woman gazed at him sadly.

"You are, Commander." For a moment, Garth was too stunned to reply.

"M-**me**...?" He whispered, then snapped out of it. "N-no. No. I'm not Commander. My father-" He stopped when he saw the woman's face. "... Gods, my..."

"I have another piece of news, my lord..."

* * *

Mera swam easily towards the palace, bursting into the great hall with very little ceremony and streaking down the corridors.

_They found it easy to forgive her rudeness-Atlantis was clearly in dire straits._

"_This is horrible..." Murmured M'gann, laying a hand on her ex-boyfriend's shoulder. He shrugged it off, but allowed Angel to pat his arm. M'gann bit her lip uncomfortably, looking up between the glowing forms of Niko and Dr. Fate on either side of them, wondering if they were seeing this, too._

Mera threw open the doors to the hall, and froze, taking the scene in. Then she raced to Garth's side, touching his shoulder. He looked up at her hazily.

"Mera, I-um..." He swallowed, straightening. "Lieutenant, report." She fell back, nodding.

"Yes, sir. We've had to pull back to the inner wall due to excessive casualties. The outer wall has been breached, and we're not certain how long the inner one will last." He nodded back slowly, his blond eyebrows pulling together.

"... How many have we lost in this action...?" Mera hesitated, then whispered a number to him. His face paled beneath it's dark brown tint.

_"That bad?" Aquaman commented. "They don't have many options." Kaldur looked at him._

"_My king, are you saying they should...?" Aquaman nodded solemnly._

"_It may be their only chance at survival."_

Garth turned towards the windows, gazing out at the approaching army sadly. Mera gazed at his back sadly. He swallowed again, turning back.

"My friends, we are low on choices. We could continue to fight, to stand in the face of overwhelming odds. I, however, do not believe this for the best." He took a deep breath. "I have recently been informed that by the current circumstances, full command has fallen to me." Mera's eyes widened. "The royal family is gone, and as for the others..." He trailed off, his expression that of someone who had just eaten something bitter. Then he collected himself. "General Coor'ea?" One of the Generals swam forward.

"Yes, sir?"

"... Give the order to retreat to the Crystal Caverns." Shocked silence filled the room for a full minute.

"But... But sir!" Spluttered the General. "To-to retreat would be-" Garth, pale blue eyes fierce, rounded on him.

"Cowardly? Shameful?" He hissed. "Look out that window, General. Our people are **dying** as we **speak**! How much longer do you think they'll last against **that**? If we try to stand and fight here, we die. Our people **die**. Atlantis will be massacred, devastated, and destroyed. There will be **nothing** left. Not one man, child, or woman. **All** will be dead. If we retreat now, we live. We wait. We bide our time, grow in numbers and strength, and then strike them when they're at their weakest. We form allegiances, watch, and learn. But most importantly, we **live**. Our people **live**. I make this choice for them-for those who fight out there, waiting for our decision. For those who rely on us. Therefore, General; give. The. Order. To. Retreat." By the end of his tirade, his voice was a dangerous whisper. The older Atlantean nodded meekly, fleeing without another word. Mera, however, hesitated.

"B... But Garth... The Deep Zero Command Unit was sent to the Grotto. If we open the Cavern gates, that entire rock-face will be crushed." For the first time, her voice sounded feeble and emotional. Garth looked at her briefly, then turned away, taking another deep breath.

_Beast Boy frowned. "I don't get it. What's the 'Deep Zero Command Unit'?"_

"_It's an elite military unit that answers only to the King." Kaldur explained. "They're used for only very important missions." They looked back at the scene before them. Slowly, grim understanding showed on Aquaman's face._

"_The other piece of news..."_

"... They're dead, Mera. Let's keep the living safe." He, too, swam away. Mera hung in the water for a moment, her eyes moving to a giant cliff that stretched out to the west, her face frozen in broken horror.

"... N-no..." She breathed, her voice cracking. Then, suddenly, conviction poured over it. She steeled herself, turned, and sped away through the water, even faster than Garth had.

* * *

People streamed out of the city quickly, herded gently along by soldiers and guards. Despite the large number fleeing, the streets were littered with corpses, as was the sea floor. Mera flashed over to were a group of men were attempting to free a lever from the rock. "Move!" She shrieked, the markings on her upper arms glowing as she grew. They dove out of the way as she seized the control, pulling it easily. The stone began to move, sliding and crushing, a large, gaping black hole opening in it. The citizens swam through, and Mera was quickly joined by the brother and sister.

"The city is clear." Tula told the other two. "And they do not appear to be pursuing."

"They cannot see where we fled to." Garth replied. As the other people finished pouring into the Caverns, the three stayed behind, watching as the monstrous submarines slammed into the city. There was a moment of tired, sorrowful silence before any of them spoke. "Mera, Tula." Garth said, taking another deep breath. "Go contact our allies on the surface. Tell them Atlantis... Has fallen."


	2. The Heroes of Star City

Alright, a few things I forgot to mention last time. I have a few original villains who figure sort of prominently into this story:

The Falcon, who is actually Alec Kyle, Selina Kyle and Catwoman's older brother. He is telepathic with birds, flies a jet called the Peregrine, has a pet falcon named Tasha, and a Russian accent. Did I mention I picture the Kyles as Russian? Anyway, Catwoman is also telepathic with an animal-you get three guesses which one, and the first two don't count. Another villain I created named Arctic Wolf (real name Emma Starling) is telepathic with canines.

There's also Charlemagne, who is actually an ancient history professor by the name of Charles Latain who accidentally came across the ancient King's sword, and now has to deal with being periodically possessed by the spirit of the rather homicidal, bloodthirsty warrior who just likes to kill people-**any** people. Dr. Latain himself is pretty nice, though.

There's also the Magician, real name Nicholas Flammel, who is a close friend of the Kyles and a powerful, you guessed it, magician.

There's also the fact that I gave Green Arrow a brother. His real name is William Queen, he goes by the heroing alias Sniper, and has a cybernetic eye. Really, that's all that's important about him for here.

Don't worry too much though. In regards to this story, most of these people are dead, and will only appear briefly in flashbacks.

* * *

_Silence resonated. "Wow." Said Beast Boy quietly, and no one else could think of much else to say._

"_That was... Depressing." Offered Captain Marvel, and got several nods in return. Wally slung an arm around Kaldur's shoulders, and Angel kept her hand on La'gaan's arm. Superman put a hand on Aquaman's shoulder._

"_The boy did well." The King surprised them all by commenting. "In that situation, he made the best decision for the people of Atlantis." He looked at Aqualad. "Obviously, you raise your children well." Kaldur smiled faintly, looking over at La'gaan._

"_We both do." They fell silent as the scene changed again._

The sea's surface was turbulent, the sky marked by dark clouds. Mera burst from the water first, closely followed by Tula, both of them treading easily. Tula tossed her braid over her shoulder. "Alright, Mera, we need a plan to-" She looked around, searching for her friend. "Mera?" She turned around. Mera was hovering in the water, staring at the shore line. Tula moved over to her. "Mera? Mera!"

"This maybe harder than we thought, Tula." Mera whispered faintly. "It... It seems Atlantis wasn't the only thing that fell..." Tula followed the other girl's gaze, and her own eyes widened. The city that stood before them was barely recognisable as Star City. It was blackened, and smoke rose from several of the buildings. The two Atlanteans swam over to the dock, pulling themselves up onto it and shaking some of the water off. Tula started going through the giant boxes that were stacked around while Mera continued to stare at the transformed city. "How long was it since you've been up here again?" She asked, looking sideways at Tula, only to notice that the girl was pulling on an oversized coat and pants. "What are you doing?"

"Covering up. Face it, Mera, we're identifiable." She tossed her friend a hooded sweatshirt and jeans of her own. Though Mera looked like she wanted to protest, she didn't, pulling on the clothes. "We need to split up, find any friends who might still be here-two years," She added, when Mera gave her a 'you haven't answered my question' look while pulling the hood low over her head. "Tell you what-I'll go for the Wests. They knows me, I don't **think** they'll shoot me in the face."

"And me?"

"Go find the others." Tula answered before vanishing into the shadows. Mera sighed loudly.

"Right. The others. If I get a **machine gun** to the face, I'm blaming you."

* * *

A jet of ice erupted through the wall of an office building. "I **told** you!" Icicle Jr. roared, towering over a cowering man in the corner. "I **told** you what to do, and you **still** screw it up. Fine-you know what? It's been awhile since I really let loose." He raised his hand again, but something streaked through the air and latched onto it-an arrow. He looked down at it and blinked. "What the-" It promptly exploded in his face. The cowering man took the opportunity to run for it, and Junior whirled to face his attacker. There were two of them, perched on the roof of the next building over-a girl in a long red cloak and a man in black and red leather. "Well, well, well. It's 'bout time someone paid attention to me!" He yelled, using ice to shove his way up to the roof of his own building.

The girl fitted another arrow to her bow. "He's doing this for **attention**?" She asked in a familiar, scrutinising tone.

_"Dude, Red, isn't that your bow?" Wally asked, pointing. Red Arrow was hanging back, his arms folded tightly. Still, he gave a slight nod. Green Arrow raised his eyebrows._

"_She's quite the shot. Had to go through a window with that one, and hit a very small target. That takes practice."_

"_The other one's no archer, though." Artemis put in._

The man with her shrugged. "Some people have weird ideas of a good time." He said, raising an arm. He wore no sleeves, but his forearms were encased in thick, metallic guards, one of them bearing a round, golf ball sized orb featuring a pinpoint, orange light. In fact, he carried several mechanical accouterments, even including the dark, almost goggle-like sunglasses he wore over his eyes. He flicked his wrist, and the arm guard opened, transforming into a miniature sort of machine gun. He crouched down. "Keep him busy." He told her, before leaping gracefully off the roof and onto the other one. The girl groaned.

"Keep him busy? Keep him **busy**? Why do I always have to keep them **busy**?" Despite her complaining, she fired another arrow while the man ducked under Icicle's second attack. She continued the rain of arrows while he found a position, kneeling down and aiming carefully. When he fired, the bullet exploded, issuing a mass of dark, perforated foam that solidified on contact with the air, holding Icicle Jr. down and pinning his arms. As the man stood, the girl leapt down beside him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" She yelled when he turned and strode off across the roof as the supervillain shouted insults after them."Hey! Sniper!" He didn't look back.

"Because it's safer, Lady Ranger."

"Safer? **Safer**? What is it with you and **safe**? Have you ever heard of the term '**overprotective**'?" He didn't respond, walking to the edge of the roof and switching the arm guard to a grappling hook, firing it and swinging off. The girl called Lady Ranger folded her arms. "Oh, **oooh**. Giving me the **silent treatment**, huh? Well **fine**, 'big' brother. **Two** can play **that** game." She swung another arrow to her bow, this one with a cord attached, and followed him.

_If the math had been complicated, they would have had an excuse-as it was, they could not figure out a single way for 'Sinper' to be the older brother of 'Lady Ranger,' if she truly was who they thought. "Maybe the 'brother' thing was just... Honourary?" Artemis wondered. "That's the only thing that makes sense." They all continued putting their heads together, with the exceptions of Red Arrow and Arsenal, who both just sort of brooded and glared._

'Sniper' led the way to the back door of an older looking house, opening it carefully and looking around inside before stepping forward. 'Lady Ranger' followed closely behind him-so closely, that she smacked right into his back when he stopped suddenly, throwing one arm out, and raising the other, already weaponised, to point at a dark corner of the room sharply.

"Gods, man, hold your fire!" Cried a voice, and a black-hooded figure stepped into the light. "I've had enough already." She explained, pushing the hood back to reveal herself as Mera. He stared at her for a moment.

"... Mera?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's me. You're chronologically... Fifteen now? It was thirteen the last time Tula was here." After a moment, he lowered the gun, collapsing it.

"It **is** you." He said, pulling off the goggles. A pair of sky blue eyes stared out of a slightly sun-tanned face. "If I believed in a god, I'd be thanking it." The girl stepped around him, pushing back her hood.

"Long time, no see, Mer." She said, smiling. Her hair was wavy and dark red, and her eyes a similar blue to the man's.

_"They __**look**__ like brother and sister..." Angel murmured._

"_Not quite, ese." Blue Beetle put in. "The guy's at least part Hispanic." Everyone looked at him. "What?"_

"_How can you __**tell**__?" Asked Superboy incredulously._

"_I just __**can**__, alright?" He glanced around at their disbelieving stares "I'm telling you! He's Spanish! At least a little bit!" The adults were having another conversation._

"_If he's fifteen, I'm ten." Barry Allen was announcing. "That kid can't be younger than twenty-one."_

"_She said __**chronologically**__." Wonder Woman pointed out. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation."_

"_Yeah," Muttered Superman dubiously, "I'm sure."_

"What brings you topside?" The man asked. Both he and the girl were now in civilian clothes, and he looked like he was pouring hot chocolate from a pan on the stove while the other two sat on a worn couch, Mera already clutching a mug in both hands. In fact, the whole interior of the house looked vaguely bare and dreary-like it had lost something it would never get back. The man picked up the two full mugs and came over, handing one to the red-haired girl before sitting in a bare-threaded armchair across from them with his own. "Please, **please** tell me that Atlantis somehow managed to pull through this?" He didn't even wait for her to answer. "It didn't, did it?" She shook her head.

"We were forced to fall back. I'm sorry. It was Garth's decision, but I believe he was right." The man groaned.

"This is hopeless!"

"Gale!" The girl reached over and slapped his arm.

"Sorry, Lian."

Red Arrow and Cheshire's daughter drew herself up. "Nothing is ever hopeless. We just have to keep trying."

"Yeah, us an what army?"

"You know perfectly **well** what army!"

Mera looked between them. "I'm confused."

Gale sighed, leaning forward. "You see," He said, "We're not the only ones taking up the mantle..."

* * *

Tula apparently did not like opening doors normally anymore than Superboy did. She kicked down the door of the old, decaying apartment... To find an arrow in her face.

"Well, **that's** irony." She muttered, surveying the archer himself. He was tall and thin, with red-gold hair, a green and brown leather jacket, and black jeans tucked into combat boots. He wore a pair of fingerless gloves, and a dark green scarf covered the lower half of his face; but there were traces of Asian descent in his eyes, not to mention the identifiable green bow he held.

_Wally's hand came down on Artemis's arm, and he gestured between them excitedly. She smiled, patting his hand condescendingly. M'gann giggled, and Superboy rolled his eyes. Aqualad watched the unfolding scene with mute interest_.

"Lawrence." Tula said quietly, holding up her hands. "It's me."

"Yeah?" The archer, Lawrence responded, the arrow not wavering. "Then why don't you tell me something no one else up here knows? Who's your grandfather?" A shadow flitted across Tula's features.

"... Black Manta." She replied, honestly. "He died fighting beside the Eight in the last battle of the First Resistance, and it tore pieces out of my heart." She leveled her gaze and him coldly. "And then there's the fact that my best friend on the surface is currently pointing an arrow at my chest." Lawrence held his position for a moment, then lowered the bow.

"... I'm sorry, Tula. I just... It's hard to know who to trust anymore." He took the arrow off the string, returning it to his quiver before pulling the scarf down. Tula nodded.

"I understand. But what has happened? I searched for your home and found... Nothing." Lawrence grimaced.

"A **bomb** happened." The Atlantean girl's eyes widened.

"My gods... Lawrence, your-" His jaw tensed.

"My parents are dead." He finished for her. "My sister-"

"-Is right here!" Crowed a female voice, and a black blur zoomed through the door, buzzing in a circle around Tula before skidding to a halt beside Lawrence. "Flash Queen has arrived!" Her hair was blonder than her brother's, and more wavy. She also featured her father's eyes, and, clearly, powers. What she wore was similar to the Kid Flash suit, but black and yellow, and reconfigured for a girl. She was shorter than the other two present, but she seemed to be endeavoring to account for that through volume. Her brother proceeded to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"For heaven's sakes, Paula. Are you trying to warn every ne'er-do-well within a mile radius that we're here?" She glared at him, but quieted down. Tula looked between them.

"I am... Sorry for your loss." She murmured. Lawrence looked at the floor.

"... Don't worry. We... We're going to make it up to them." He raised his head. "But it's not safe to talk here-walls have ears, for real these days. Follow us; we can talk back at the house."

"You're living alone?" A smile crossed the archer's face, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Of course not, my friend. We're living with family."

_It had taken Wally several tries to get his mouth closed. "We're __**dead**__?" He howled. "Just like that? You and me are __**dead**__?" Artemis and Nightwing looked sideways at each other as their friend meandered about, waving his arms. Finally, he calmed down._

"_I think it's only fair." Angel commented thoughtfully. "If Aqualad and La'gaan are dead, you should be, too." She looked confused when they all looked at her. "Uh... Was it something I said?" La'gaan took her arm gently._

"_Er... Angel, let's go over here and talk about the meaning of the word 'fair'..." He took her aside while the others continued to discuss._

"_It does make sense." Batman said blankly. "It is unlikely that any of us would allow any city to deteriorate in such a fashion; meaning it is highly probable that __**none**__ of us are alive in this continuity." There was absolutely silence as they all considered that statement._

* * *

"You're telling me eight villains went and got themselves blown up for nothing?"

"No, I'm telling you eight **people** went and died to protect their **families**." Gale was carefully explaining to Mera. "The Eight weren't the only ones, either. A lot of people died that day. They were just the leaders." He leaned back in his chair, ticking them off on his fingers. "Roxy Rocket, the Falcon, Clayface, Dr. Freeze, Charlemagne, the Riddler, the original Huntress, and the Penguin." He dropped his hand into his lap. "Their sacrifice wasn't in vain. They made the Joker believe he had ousted the entire resistance in one battle. It falls to us now to show him just how wrong he was." He took a drink of hot chocolate, seemingly half to hide from the fact that both girls were staring at him.

"You should count yourself lucky." Lian told Mera. "He never gets this sentimental about his stories when he's telling them to me." The Atlantean girl blushed, but was saved from having to speak by the sound of a door creaking open. Gale didn't even glance over his shoulder.

"You're late." He grunted, setting the mug down on the arm of the chair. Lawrence stood there, with Paula close behind him.

"You stood me up." Both Lian and Paula giggled, causing the boys to glare at them. "**Anyway**," Lawrence continued, just a bit louder to be heard over the girls, "We brought a friend." Mera looked up as Tula stepped from behind the archer.

"Looks like this a party." Gale muttered, rising. "Archer, I'd appreciate it if you called before bringing people home." He crossed back to the stove. "I'll get more-" Lawrence, or Archer, cut him off, opening a cupboard.

"I got it, Sniper."

"Absolutely not. You two need to go change." He rounded on Paula. "**Both** of you." She hung her head.

"Aw, fine..." She began to trudge upstairs when Gale's voice stopped her again.

"Lawrence, you know you're not supposed to take her with you." She stopped on the stairs.

"Dude, I'm his **sister**!"

"And?" She groaned loudly.

"Don't bother!" Lian called from the couch. "He's being overprotective today!" Gale frowned.

"I'm not overprotective." He looked at Archer. "Am I overprotective?" Lawrence stared at him.

"You expect me to **answer** that?" He asked, pouring some of the extra hot chocolate into a mug before leaning on the counter and drinking it. "Look, Gale. She's got powers. She's fast. She'll be fine."

"Oh? And what about that time when she ran into a moving truck. I believe it was a compound fracture?"

"I have no memory of that."

"Of course you wouldn't." He sighed. "You're doing this just to irk me, aren't you, Larry." Archer jabbed his bow in Gale's face.

"Call me 'Larry' again, and you'll see just how irking I can be." He turned and headed for the stairs himself, taking the mug with him.

"Bring that cup back down here when you're done with it!" Sniper yelled after him. By this time, Tula had wandered over to take the final seat on the couch.

"Don't mind them." Lian assured the two Atlanteans. "They're like an old married couple."

"We are **not**." Gale snapped, returning to his seat. "He just lets you two get away with the craziest things." The other two returned, now dressed in regular clothes, and found their own places-either on the floor, or leaning on the counter again. "This may be hard to explain." Gale continued. "But I suppose we can try." His gaze slid to Lian. "You don't have to stay for this." But she was already snuggling into the thread-bare pillows.

"You know I both love and hate this story, Gale. Just be sure to tell it from the beginning. A lot can happen in two years..."


	3. A Tale To Tell

**Gale/Sniper**:

I don't remember the exact details, to be honest. I was too young, despite my brain... Well, you know about that, but since it's all connected, I'll reiterate: You'll remember that my parents used to be part of the Runners, back before they went bad. In fact, my dad left because he felt like they were going over the edge. So far as I know, one day, we got this call from them, something about desperately needing help with a case. Why, **why** did we answer it? I don't know. Maybe if they hadn't, my parents would still be alive. But they both suited up and headed over to the coordinates that they'd been given, only to find no one there. All I can recall about what happened next was this loud banging, and then everything going foggy and having a hard time breathing. I think I fell out of the carrier on my mother's back, because when I woke up, I was on the floor. My whole body just hurt all over. I couldn't really register anything-it was like my mind was going a mile a minute, trying to take in as much information as it could. Somehow, I managed to crawl over to where my parents were laying. My mother was already dead, but my father was still breathing a little. I remember going to him and rolling him onto his back. He looked a little confused, but I think he still knew it was me. Told me I had to get out of there as quickly as I could, and made me promise, **promise**, to look after my 'sister,' no matter what happened. Then, he just sort of... Stopped breathing. I don't know how long I sat there with him, but he'd gone cold by the time I made myself get up. My head was still in hyperdrive as I tried to make my way home. Slept for two days, after that. Only after I woke up did I realise what had happened. We'd been hit with an overdose of Kobra Venom in gas form. It had killed both my parents, suffocating and poisoning them, but I had reacted positively in a completely unforeseen way; the Venom had aged me nearly twenty years. And not just physically-the reason I'd felt like my head was a overheating motor was because the inner workings of my brain were struggling to catch up with the growth that had just happened. By the time it was over, I was mature enough for the age I looked, neuron-wise. It was only the concrete experience I lacked.

News of my parents' deaths spread quickly. Media reported it as some sort of 'accident,' but I knew for a fact it was murder.

Their own friends had betrayed them.

Calls came in from all over the place. I think Lawrence and Paula's mother phoned the house eleven times. I didn't answer any of them but one-one I couldn't refuse.

I stayed with Lian's family for awhile. I wasn't counting the days, maybe I should have, but I wasn't. Time was sort of strange in that house. Lian has a genetic anomaly that causes her to age half as quickly as an average person, and, combined with my spontaneous growth spurt, it was virtually impossible to tell who was what age.

Maybe that was how they found us.

I wasn't there when the raid hit-I **should** have been, but I wasn't. **Really** should have been there. As it was, when I got back, the place was raised. Both her parents were still alive, barely. I managed to talk to them, to promise again I'd look after her, but their injuries were just too much, and they both died soon after that. I couldn't find Lian anywhere, so I assumed the raiding party had made off with her or something. I recovered a few things from the wreckage and tracked them.

Someone else beat me to the punch; literally.

Whatever the hell else anyone says about Sportsmaster, in my mind, the guy deserves a plaque. He had to know, **had** to know there was no way he was gonna make it out of that mess alive. Fought off a good twenty men on his own, took her and made a run for it. They hit him at least fifteen times in the back-I couldn't bring myself to count. He might've made it if he hadn't been trying to shield her. Could've dumped her and saved himself, but he didn't. Took them both of a cliff and just laid there and waited 'til they moved on. That's where I found them, anyway. He'd already lost so much blood, could barely even tell it was me. Asked if he could borrow my phone and then called Lian's aunt. Left a message on her phone, calling me 'the Harper kid, the tall one.' Then he just sort of handed her to me, made me promise **again** to keep her safe, and died. If it hadn't been for all the blood, I'd've thought he went to sleep. I didn't have the time or the strength to bury him, so I just use the old 'cover the body with rocks' method. Then I took Lian and just... Walked. Okay, I stole cars occasionally, but I mostly walked. Found a way to carry this little runt on my back and just kept going. Headed for the last place I knew I could reach that would take us-Lawrence and Paula's house.

**Lawrence/Archer**:

We'd heard about what happened to Gale's parents both through the media and through the grape vine. Mom and Dad agreed that there had to be something more going on. It wasn't like Arsenal and Firework to just suddenly be in an active gas chamber. She tried calling, but as Gale said, he never returned them. She didn't pick up right away when Grandfather called, and only heard the message later. When she did, she just locked herself in their room and cried. It was another three, maybe four, weeks before Gale actually showed up towing Lian. Of course, our parents took them both in immediately. Gale and I didn't hit off particularly well, but Lian and Paula were close instantly. I don't know-my sister has a thing for kids. Anyway, we all lived together for awhile, sorta like one, big, not-so-happy family. Just told people they were our cousins to save time, though that was only half true. Eventually, however, they caught up to us, too. By luck, or lack of it, Paula and I weren't in the house when the bomb went off. Couple of friends of mine had convinced me to go to a movie with them (which sucked, by the way), and my parents had made me take Paula along. Maybe they knew, **guessed**, something was going to happen. I don't know. To this day, I don't know. Whatever the reason, we were driving back, Pauls talking me ear off, when it happened. We were a block from the house, could **see** it through the windshield, when the whole building just went up in an inferno. I stopped the car, and I vaguely remember grabbing speedy here before she could try running into the house. Something told me she just wasn't going to be making it out again. The police still showed up, but none of them were particularly sympathetic about it, and we just got herded off to the station. Were there for a few hours before Gale, still carrying Lian, broke in and snuck us out-with the Joke Regime calling the shots, it was no small guess they'd off us for being heroes' kids; they'd obviously killed our parents.

Anyway, Gale said he thought some of Lian's parents' old safe-houses were still at least slightly habitable, so here we are, for better or worse. We slipped back over to where the old house was and salvaged what we could-that's how I got Mom's bow. We realised that, with the rest of our family gone (and believe me, Green Arrow and Black Canary would have dropped by if they were still around), there was no one keeping Star City in line. Realised that someone had to remind people that there were still heroes. I decided to become Archer, Paula wanted to be Flash Queen. Gale became a sort of Sniper the second, and Lian turned into Lady Ranger, though the press likes to call her Red Riding Hood. We're not alone-there's Harpy; she's a bit reclusive, though, eyes of an eagle and scream like a banshee.

**Gale**:

It was my mechanics that saved us. This thing with the orange light? Started beeping and flashing like crazy, woke me up. Like it was trying to **warn** me. It was only because of that I was able to get us out in time, grabbing Lian and jumping out the window as the house went up. I hid in the bushes when the police came. I knew it was dangerous to leave Lawrence and Paula with them, so I broke into the station first chance I got. The law doesn't protect anyone any more. It's just a tool for the Joker's 'projects.' The city, no, the world, needed to know that we were still here. That we're all, still here...

Mera and Tula were silent for a long moment after Lawrence and Gale finished speaking, their eyes on the floor.

"That is... Terrible." Tula finally said. "I am sorry we could not-" Gale stood.

"Atlantis has-had-it's own problems. You can't expect to be everywhere at once. The people who sacrificed their lives will not be forgotten, and we will continue fighting in the names of those who have paid that price." He sighed. "In the meantime, it's late, and some of us have to work tomorrow. You can crash here tonight if you like." He began collecting the dishes while Tula rose and approached Lawrence.

"You keep saying 'we.' How many of you are there?" A small smile flitted across his face.

"You'd be surprised." He told her. "You'd be surprised..."

_They watched in horrified awe for a moment. Then Bart clapped Arsenal on the back a bit __**too**__ hard. "__**Dude**__, you marry __**Firework**__? That lady who lit __**Darkseid**__ on fire? Bad__**ass**__!" Both Barry and Wally looked at him sharply._

"_Bart, __**where**__ did you hear that word?" The Flash demanded, folding his arms. The boy went all shifty eyed, and Robin noticed the current Sniper rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably._

"_Uh... Anyway!" He interjected quickly, making Green Arrow look at him suspiciously. "Does anyone else think that orange thing in his arm guard looks like my eye?" If anyone else had said it, the statement would have been strange, but Sniper's cybernetic eyes was flitting about and blinking its glowing orange pupil at them, driving the point home. As they talked, Kaldur looked around, noticing that Red Arrow was staying as far out of the conversation as he could, he moved over to him._

"_You seem troubled."_

"_Her aging slower than a normal person-do you think that's because of me?" The clone wondered, and Kaldur couldn't think of a good answer._

"_I do not know, my friend."_

"_What about the rest of us?" Beast Boy complained loudly. "Don't we get kids too?" M'gann ruffled his hair, smiling._

"_I think we're about to find out, Gar." She told him. "I think we're about to find out."_

* * *

Okay, so that was shorter than the other two chapters. Probably because it's the characters telling stories. I was planning on having these kinds of sections come in order to give character backgrounds, having each of the people introduced tell their tales in their own way-for instance, Sniper and Archer obviously don't believe in dialogue. If this is interrupting the flow of the story for anyone, let me know, and I can stop and integrate the backstories in another way; I can't omit them entirely, because they're an important part of establishing the situation, but I can vary how they are explained.

Next chapter: 'The Guardians of Metropolis.' No, I am not kidding. Expect a hero whose alias involves the word 'super'...


	4. The Guardians Of Metropolis

Metropolis's high skyline was not what it had been in times past. Some of the damage was similar to what had been done to Star City, and some of it just looked like the buildings had been toppled. A massive battle had happened here, and the city was still recovering.

Children chased each other through the streets, shouting loudly, and everything was abustle. On one of the streets, however, a lone figure in a long, dark coat moved against the general current of the crowd, head down, hands in pockets. A long, sleek black pony tail swept down from under the brim of a hat, pulled low over the eyes, reaching down past the centre of the figure's back. The silhouette turned down a side street-and shadows suddenly fell in like curtains around it.

One of the men drew out a gun. The others carried knives and other weapons; four in all.

"How about you just give us all yer money, an' no one's gotta get hurt?" Grunted the gunman. The figure raised its head, turning it to look at its attackers. The voice that came from its shadowy face, however, was clearly female.

"No." Was all she said. The man's eyes narrowed.

"Yer funeral." He growled, and fired. The woman watched the bullet come, taking a hand from her pocket and extending it towards the bit of metal, like she intended to catch it.

Then the bullet froze.

The men's eyes widened, and two of them fell back a step. The woman took her other hand from her pocket, and, as the bullet dropped to the ground with a small 'tink,' began to rise into the air. Her concealing clothes vanished, revealing a young woman with incredibly long, shiny black hair, a thin figure, dark brown eyes... And green skin. The men stumbled back, cowering.

"M-M-M-Mystic Martian!" One of them cried frantically. "W-w-w-w-w-we didn' know it was you! Hones'!" The woman, Mystic Martian, allowed herself to sink to the ground. She had high cheek bones and piercing eyes. Her clothes were dark and sleek; a long-sleeved black bodysuit with a high collar and thick soled boots. A deep blue jacket hung from her shoulders, its sleeves billowing, unused.

**Wether you knew it was me is meaningless**. Her voice echoed in their minds. **This life is no good. If you do not wish to die on the streets, you should seek to better yourselves**. The men all nodded quickly.

"Yes, ma'am, a' course, ma'am!"

**Then go. And do not let me see you at this again**.

The men fled.

Mystic Martian sighed, smoothing a hand over her hair. With no one watching her, she looked suddenly sad, dreary, and lonely. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gazed up at the sky with something like longing.

Then her cellphone vibrated.

She pulled it out, checking the number before putting it to her ear. "Genevieve."

"Gene, it's Megan. Where are you?"

"I was showing a group of thugs on East Ninth the errors of their ways." Mystic Martian replied airily.

"Nice. How quickly did they run this time?" Asked the girl on the other end.

"Quickly." Said Genevieve dryly. The other girl, Megan, laughed.

"Sounds about right. Tell ya what, how about letting me cook dinner tonight?"

"More like how about letting you blow up the kitchen. I'll be home in a bit. See you there, Meg."

"See you, godsister." Genevieve hung up, and then lifted into the air again, this time flying off between the roofs.

_M'gann frowned. "What's a 'godsister'?" She wondered. Nightwing stepped over._

"_Well, there's godparents, which are sort of a religious thing, but nowadays, it just means a kind of... Extra guardian for a child."_

"_Basically," Black Canary took up, "One of Genevieve's parents must be a godparent for Megan, and probably vice-versa, to be calling each other sisters." M'gann nodded, eyes wide with interest._

"_I see..."_

Genevieve returned to a quaint, closeted apartment on the upper levels of a plain, if well-kept building. She unlocked the door and slipped inside, having changed from a green-skinned girl into an average, peachy toned human. Her clothes were a thick jacket, blouse, jeans, and a pair of aging sneakers.

"I'm home!" Another girl appeared from one of the two adjoining rooms. This one, Megan, it seemed, was slightly shorter than Gene, but boasted a stronger build. She had pale brown hair, and bright, friendly black eyes, and her face was round with delicate features. She wore a black tee-shirt and jeans, but no shoes.

"Good, I'm starving." Her friend announced, fussing with her hair, cut so that it stood out like feathers around her face. Genevieve crossed to the other door, which turned out to lead into the kitchen.

"Anything interesting on the news?"

"Nothing but propaganda. Can you believe, they're making a **movie** about that... Incident in Gotham?"

"Which one?"

"The one that got filmed and put on live television." Genevieve shuddered.

"Wasn't there torture in that?"

"What **wasn't** in that?" Megan sighed, leaning against the counter and watching the Martian move about the kitchen. There was a moment of silence between them before she continued on a new thought. "I tried calling Uncle Jordan again today. Just got the answering machine. Not even Ma picked up."

"She doing alright?"

"Gene, you know she is. Nothing could kill Ma." Megan reached over and snatched a leaf from the salad the other girl was making, chewing its stem. "Expect... Maybe a silver bullet." Genevieve laughed faintly.

_"Wow." Superman whistled. "If they mean who I think they mean, then she maybe be right about that."_

"_You think it's Ma Kent?" Martian Manhunter asked, and Superman shrugged._

"_How many people do you know who go by 'Ma?'"_

The girls continued through dinner with the same subdued attitude, though Megan seemed to be endeavoring to be brighter for her friend's sake. Genevieve noticed.

"Meg, you don't have to try and make me feel better. It's tomorrow, I know. I just won't go outside and stay away from the news." When Megan continued to look worried, she sighed. "Meg, just go on patrol. Work your kinks out on whatever idiots are trying to raise hell with our parents..." She trailed off. Megan gave her an odd look, but stood.

"Okay, Gene. But call me if you need... I don't know. Support." She turned and walked back to the other room. There was a moment of silence, and then a fluttering-then the house was still. Genevieve sat in silence for a moment, then stood and moved over to a table in the main room, which bore two sets of picture frames. She selected one, lifting it, and running her fingers over the image.

"Mother... Why did you **do** it...?"

* * *

A man recognisable as one of Lex Luthor's more brutish thugs had cornered an elderly couple on one of the main streets.

"I don't **care** how much money you got! You still owe taxes!" He snarled advancing on them threateningly.

"Funny." Commented a light, female voice. "It always seemed to me that those two things were proportional. Then again, my family got a few tax breaks, being heroes and all." Crouched on an awning above them was Megan, slightly in the shadows. She was wearing a tight, black tank top and matching, short shorts, her feet still bare. She leapt nimbly off the building to stand between the man and the couple.

Well, well, well. You again." The man growled, reaching into his pocket. "I'm prepared this time, little girl." He produced a small hunk of glowing green rock, and the effect was immediate. The girl stumbled, sinking to her knees and shaking. He dropped it by her head, chuckling, and stepped around her towards the couple.

"Not so fast." Her voice, though weak, was determined. He froze turning. As he watched in stunned silence, she struggled to her feet, grabbed the Kryptonite in her hand, and threw it as hard as she seemed able. It ricochetted down the street, then bounced into the gutter, getting swept away by the small tide of water. Megan straightened, returned to herself. The man's jaw dropped.

"H-how did you...?"

"Simple." She told him calmly. "Did you forget? I am also..." She hunched over for a second, her back spasming. Then, she suddenly lifted off the ground, into the air, and the light, "... My mother's child." Great, white wings protruded from her shoulder blades, and her skin was marked with the same black, tattoo-like, almost tribal markings that Angel's was. "There's a reason they call me Super**Anima**." She explained further, alighting on the ground. "Now, would you like to tangle with me again, or shall we let this couple go about their business?" The man swallowed, but promptly tried to steel himself and charge her. She met him head on, catching his arm easily, and changing her fingernails into cat's claws for a better hold. That done, she threw him through the wall, leaving him lying in a mass of brick and stone. She turned to the couple. "You're free to go." They quickly nodded thank yous and fled. Megan, SuperAnima, sighed, allowing the claws to recede and growing her wings again, taking off into the air. She was soaring over the rooftops when a communicator in her ear buzzed.

"Megan?" On the other end, Genevieve's voice sounded thick with tears.

"You need me, Gene?" SuperAnima asked quickly, sounding worried.

"I... I think I do. Not-not if you're busy, but..."

"I'm free. I just finished immobilising our unfriendly neighborhood tax collector. Seriously, doesn't Luthor employ anyone with a **brain**?" A faint smile could be heard in Mystic Martian's answer.

"He's the **mayor**, Meg. He doesn't **need** people with a brain." Megan sighed.

"I guess not. Kinda adds insult to injury, though." She flapped her wings, turning in the air, and headed for home.

_"The __**mayor**__?" Superman bellowed. "How is Lex Luthor the __**mayor**__?"_

"_It would seem he killed you."_

"_Batman, if you can't think of something nice to say? Don't say it." The Flash put in. Anima was experiencing a great deal of excitement over the idea that Megan was her daughter._

"_Did you see her?" She asked La'gaan for the upteenth time. "Did you? She just 'woosh,' and-and then 'boom!'" It was an attribute to his patience that he just smiled and nodded. M'gann and Superboy, meanwhile, were having another discussion._

"_You don't know that." M'gann told him._

"_Who else's kid could she __**be**__?" He demanded. "Her mother is __**obviously**__ Angel. So who's her father? __**Superman**__? Be serious, M'gann. There aren't many options in the Kent family." M'gann bit her lip again._

_**But if Connor marries Angel, then...**__ She found her gaze moving almost unwillingly to Niko. __**... Who do I marry?**_

Megan arrived home through the window, shrinking her wings back into the feather-like black markings that they were when not in use. She found Genevieve sitting on the couch, holding the picture she had been looking at before in her lap.

"They look so **happy**." She said mournfully as her friend approached. "You'd never have known they were fighting."

"They still loved each other," Magen assured her, sitting down beside her, "And you." Mystic Martian sighed.

"I know. Deep down, I know. I know the reason they were able to upset each other so much was that they cared about each other. I **know**. It doesn't make the hurt go away." Megan bit her lip, taking the photo from her and dusting it off. "They were so strong," Gene went on, "Both of them, right up until the end." She closed her eyes. "Funny, how the thing that made me realise how much Dad really loved Mom was the thing that got him killed. If he hadn't tried to go back for her, he'd still be here." Megan pulled the Martian into a hug, laying the photo on the table in plain view.

_M'gann gasped._

_The picture was of her and Niko._

_She glanced frantically at where he was hovering, deep in the spell, and prayed desperately that he __**couldn't**__ see this. She and Niko had been awkward with each other ever since he had pointed out (well, 'accused' was probably a better word, though he'd apologised after) her overflowing psychic powers. He'd originally thought she was manipulating others on purpose, but had quickly realised she knew nothing about it-the entire incident had still earned him a punch from Connor for making her cry either way._

_Niko had said he'd deserved it._

_She wasn't the only one reacting to the revelation. Beast Boy was looking between her and Dark Caster, a thoughtful frown on his face._

"_Hm... Yeah, I can see it..." Superboy scowled, and Nightwing just looked confused before shrugging._

"_Back when I knew him, he held grudges." He commented. "But he's changed since then in other ways, so..." Angel dashed over to M'gann, grabbing her hands._

"_Oh my goodness! Our children are godsisters! Isn't that __**exciting**__, M'gann?"_

"_Uh... Yeah." M'gann responded as Angel swung their hands back and forth in happiness. "Exciting..._"

"We've never talked about it, have we?" Megan was saying. Genevieve opened her eyes.

"What?"

"You know, the day you found me curled up in that trash bin, we were just happy to see each other. We didn't really talk about why we were there. Maybe it's time we did." Genevieve's eyes shifted to her parents' faces on the table, and a sudden calm came over her face.

"Yes." She said. "Maybe it's time we did..."

* * *

Alright, there we go. As promised. For those of you who want desperately to meet 'Uncle Jordan' (if there are any), you're going to have to wait a bit. You can sped the time guessing whose kid he is. I wasn't planning on giving him his own intro chapter, since he figures prominently into some other people's, but I **can** be pressed into writing him a sort of Chapterette that would come after this one as a little aside... But you're going to have to ask me for it! I swear!

Next Chapter (if the chapterette is a no-go) : 'And Safe May You Stay' Expect Genevieve and Megan to be a **bit** more descriptive than than the boys were.


	5. And Safe May You Stay

Okay, so I confess to feeling a bit unloved, but I shall persevere anyway! (though I wouldn't mind a little assurance that people are actually reading this...)

I should warn you, this part involves a bit of unnecessary violence (burning people at the stake is **so** not necessary). Also, if you don't like my treatment of my M'gann and Connor relationships, you can just not read this. Please don't send me stuff and yell at me about it. Actually, please don't send me stuff and yell at me about **anything**, because then I will cry, and it will make you feel bad.

* * *

**Megan/SuperAnima**:

We **had** been lucky. No one had bothered us yet. No one had even **tried**. Maybe they were scared. Maybe they just thought our family didn't matter. Whatever it was, they very suddenly didn't think it anymore. I remember my mother bursting in empty-handed from a trip to the supermarket. That was suspicious in itself.

"They're coming for us." She panted when my father ran to her. "All of them, they... They're coming. For us. I saw them." Even as she spoke, I could hear the sound of thundering footsteps beating up the long road to our house. Dad ran and looked out the window, then came back to Mom.

"You go. Take her and go." He told her, but she grabbed his arm.

"No... No! I can't leave you!" The agony in her voice was even more terrifying than the approaching army bent on killing us.

"You have to," He told her, "For Megan's sake." She let out a sob, throwing her arms around him. after a moment, she released him and ran to me, gathering me up in her arms. He went to the door, opening it. The two of them exchanged one long, mournful look. I only realised later that they both knew, **knew**, that they would never see each other again. They were both trying to memorize each other's face before they went-him to his death to protect us, and her , hopefully, to safety with me.

It didn't work out at all like they planned.

You see, they followed us. Tracked my mother's shadow as she flew. Eventually, she was forced to take shelter in a junkyard far outside of town. She placed me down on my feet, kneeling down so that her eyes were level with mine.

"I'll lead them off." She promised me. "Stay here, and keep quiet." We could both hear the shouts approaching outside. She started to rise, but I hugged her, pulling her back down.

"No, Mom! Don't leave me!" She hugged me back tightly, then carefully pried my arms loose.

"I must, my darling." She whispered. "Remember, your father and I will always be right here." She put a gentle hand on me chest, then kissed my cheek and stood. Grabbing a child-sized hunk of metal, she wrapped it in a cloth and flew out through the roof. I crawled into the corner and sobbed pitifully to myself.

I think it was the sound that brought him to me.

I heard a distinct whirr and click moving towards me through the junkyard. I stood, shuffling behind some junk nervously. He saw me first, landing and approaching me on foot.

"Identify yourself." I stepped out from around the pile I'd hid behind when he arrived. Still sniffling, I did my best to wipe my eyes.

"Megan Kent." I told him proudly. It was then that I got I good look at him, and him at me, and we both recognised each other. "Red Tornado!" I cried, running forward to try and throw my arms around his stout metal trunk.

"Miss Kent." He replied, looking down at the top of my head. "What is the matter? What are you doing here?" I told him my tale between shudders and sobs, never once letting go of his middle, though my arms did not fit around him in anyway whatsoever. When I finished, he sort of awkwardly laid a large red hand atop my head gently. "I am sorry for your loss, Miss Kent. You are welcome to stay with me until such a time as we are able to contact the rest of the League." For the first time that day, I managed a smile.

The days, then the weeks, maybe even months wore on, and there was no such sign from the rest of the League. We were alright, Tornado and I, but it was the last glimmer of hope we talked about by the fire during the night. He told me how he'd escaped when they'd come for him by, after falling into the trash heaps, blending in with the scraps of metal. I told him that improvisation was a very human thing to do. He was a reliable protector, and a good friend-and I think he was glad to have me around, too. I learned things about mechanics, and I told him things about people. I gained a new lease on life; and I held on to the thought that somewhere out there, **someone** was fighting to unseat the Regime.

But as is custom nowadays, the good times didn't last.

I don't know what made them search the junkyard, but I suppose why they did it makes no difference. There were only a few places to hide in that yard, and soon it was obvious we would have to fight our way out.

"Hold onto me." Tornado told me, allowing me to piggy back on his back. He was **amazing**. Wouldn't be here today without him. He just kept plowing them down, man after man. He just kept fighting, even when he couldn't anymore; fighting for me. I leapt off his back and into the fray at some point when I heard his joints creaking and saw sparks move across his red paint. I wanted to help, too. I wanted to do for him what I hadn't been able to do for my parents.

In the end, however, there were too many.

He couldn't even stand anymore. He just lay in the middle of the platform, sparking and jerking occasionally. I ran to him, despite the sounds of still more coming from below. We had beaten the first wave, but the others would be there soon. Tornado turned to me.

"Go, Miss Kent." He told me. "You must go. I will remain here and initiate self-destruct when the next group arrives, which should give you time to escape." I was crying again, hugging him once more.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! I can't leave you! I won't!"

"You must... Megan." It was the first and last time he ever used my first name. "Be safe." He pushed me away gently, and I stumbled to my feet, still weak with sobbing. He looked at me again.

"I shall tell your parents that you are well." He promised, and then I fled. You found me in a trash bin one week later. I found out on the news that the junkyard had been blown to smithereens. They said it was a gas leak, but I knew better. I knew it was the final sacrifice of one of the most goddamn human heroes I have ever met, and I will **never** forget him, **or** my parents.

**Genevieve/Mystic Martian**:

My family was always an interesting case. We all loved each other dearly, and were actually very happy. But telepathy is a complicated thing, and my parents had different ideas about its conventions.

It all started with that incident with the Runners girl.

I know, intellectually, why she did it. I know it saved lives, got the information faster than any other method would have.

It also left a girl in a coma. On television. **Live** television.

My father was horrified. For months after, I could hear them fighting in the night, both telepathically and aloud.

"Don't you realise what you've done?"

"I made a hard choice, Niko. It was one person for the sake of many. Besides, those people would have died. She's still alive."

"Yes, she is. However, she's completely vegetative! There must have been another way, M'gann."

"There wasn't!"

"Did you try?" There was a moment of silence. "M'gann, listen. You're not a bad person, but you've gotten so used to using your powers this way that... It's **too** easy. And with that footage all over the news, think about what it will do to us. To her." I knew he meant me. This sort of argument was usually followed by the sound of my mother crying, and my father gently apologising. As time wore on, things got strained. Father would disappear for hours on end, and Mother would just look herself in their room. But it was on the evening of a truly horrible fight that our greatest fears came to pass. It started out over the footage, but escalated into something more.

"You do realise what people are saying about us-about you?"

"I can handle a few rumors."

"It's not just rumors. It's a fire, and the Runners are stoking it. They're angry, M'gann, and I think they have cause."

"Why do you always take their side?"

"I'm trying to keep an eye out for you. Public opinion is a powerful weapon, M'gann. I **want** you to be **safe**. You're making it a bit difficult."

"I had to make a decision! I did what I felt was best for the world!"

"That's not the way they see it!"

"They would see it the same way if all those people had died! Surely this is the lesser of two evils!"

"Not with an angry group of metas stirring up resentment. This is a lot more complicated than you think it is."

"I understand perfectly how complicated it is."

"No, you don't."

"And how would you know that?" There was a moment of absolutely silence. "Niko... We promised to never read each other's minds." It was the only time I ever saw Father falter.

"I... I never kept that promise." She stared at him. Normally, this might have been good-they had both screwed up, and now **both** mistakes were out in the open. Mother's disregard for mental privacy had resulted in major social consequences, and Father's distrust of her habits had led him to break one of the promises they made when they married. It should have made it better.

It didn't.

Even I couldn't sense what went on between them, as they had both thrown up walls, but they stared at each other for a good half an hour. Then, Father grabbed his coat and left. When I slipped downstairs, Mother was collapsed in an armchair, her head in her hands. I crossed to her.

"Is Father coming back?" I remember asking softly. She didn't look at me.

"I don't know." Was all she said.

She made me go to bed, and read me a story. I don't remember what it was. If I had known what was going to happen that night, I would have hugged her and told her I loved her before saying good night. I would have told her I would never forget her.

As it was, I did none of those things.

When she called him in the middle of the night, it was so urgent that she didn't even bother sealing me out like they usually did when they wanted to talk privately.

**Niko. I need you.**

He said nothing, but we both sensed the tacit assurance of his approach. Then she burst into my room, pulling me quickly out of bed. He must have teleported, because she was getting me dressed when he came in behind her.

**What is it?** He asked. They both seemed to think it would take too much time to speak out loud. She turned to him.

**She gets out of here, now.** He looked between me and her, his expression agonized, like this was some sort of scheduled precaution they had discussed.

**M'gann...** He reached over and took her hand, pulling her over to him. They kissed each other briefly, and then he released her and went to me, taking my hand. She stayed by the door, and they stared at each other until the spell was complete, and she faded from view. We were in the woods, somewhere outside of the city. He turned to me, kneeling down and wrapping his coat around me. "Stay here. I'll be back for you when I can." He stood, moving few paces away before turning back to look at me sadly. Then, he vanished.

That was the last time I saw either of them alive.

I waited in the forest for heaven knows how long before I realised he wasn't coming back. It took me a while, even **with** telepathy and flying to find my way back. When I got there, I immediately wished I hadn't.

It took me a long time to piece together what had happened. The rumors spreading through the neighborhood proved to be just as vicious as my father feared, and the townspeople moved against us. When Mother heard they were coming for her, she had Father take me out and hide me in the forest. She didn't know what they would do to her, but she was too proud to run.

They burned her like a witch, and when my father came back for her, they hanged him as a traitor.

I **saw** their bodies-both of them. They just left them out there, in front of our house. I froze over, just... Collapsed. Must have lain there for hours before I realised that I had to move. Never went back there. Too many memories. Thanks to shapeshifting, I was able to blend in with the populace, but I still thought I was alone. Until I found you, of course.

What my mother did was wrong, but it did save lives. My father shouldn't have broken his promise, but he was just trying to keep my mother from destroying herself. Me... I don't know what to do now. The Dark Powers aren't exactly helpful, but Father warned me about that. I want to help people, but I'm worried that they won't be able to let go of what my mother did, and Father never got the chance to fully train the powers I got from him. I'm just... Lost.

_M'gann was clinging to Superboy through the entirety of Genevieve's story._

"_I'm not doing it. I'm not. I swear. I __**swear**__ I'm not. I won't." Beast Boy came over and hugged her, and Kaldur put a hand on her shoulder._

"_We know, M'gann. We know." The others nodded reassuringly as well._

"_Totally, babe." Wally told her, grinning. While Angel did supply a comforting smile to M'gann, her gaze shifted uncomfortably to Connor, who didn't give her the time of day. Seeing this, La'gaan put an arm around her._

"_That was terrifically disturbing." Superman announced, and the others, especially Captain Marvel, who was dabbing at his eyes with his sleeve, agreed-with the exception of Batman, who was looking thoughtful again, but Clark attributed this to Bruce's probable belief that none of this was actually real (which, in a way, was true) rather than actual indifference._

"_The emotional scarring from something like that would be severe." J'onn put in. "These two girls are undoubtedly very damaged."_

"_And they don't have anyone to help them..." Wonder Woman murmured._

"_They have each other." The Flash interrupted. "That clearly means something to both of them."_

"_They may not entirely be alone." Aquaman said suddenly, and they all looked at him. "Think back," He continued, "The Commander told his sister and their friend to find their '__**allies**__' on the surface. There's a spearpoint to this somewhere. There must be."_

* * *

Alright, **that** was a long chapter. So that's how Megan and Genevieve ended up where they are. And yes, there **is** a spearpoint to this, as Aquaman put it. In fact, that'll start coming up in...

THE NEXT CHAPTER: 'The Shadows Of Gotham' We're almost to plot! I swear!


	6. The Shadows Of Gotham: Heroes' Legacy

_**Because I was threatened with the wrath of Batman, I elected to hurry it up a bit. Batman frightens me.**_

_**I am splitting this into two parts, especially since there's two groups of people involved with this in this city. Gotta love Gotham. Anyway, partake of the drama. Hopefully, second half of the chapter won't take so long.**_

* * *

If it was possible, Gotham was darker than it was before. Smog clung tightly to the buildings, and grime coated most smooth surfaces. The streets were dirty, smelly, and crowded. Out of it all, two buildings stood out from the black mass on the outskirts of town. One of them was grand and graceful, sitting atop a small hill, the Wayne Manor's flickering lights gazed down at the city like some sort of benevolent, sorrowful angel.

The other building was not so gracious, or elegant.

It towered above the Manor, on an even larger hill; a giant tower of metal frame and stone that cast a shadow over the even over the giant house, and it's lights blared and danced like torches. Smoke billowed from its top, and there was no doubt as to whom it belonged.

The tower was shaped like a gigantic 'J.'

**For some of the older inhabitants, it's hard to look out across this horizon and think 'this is Gotham.'**

_A girl's voice echoed through their minds, not speaking, but thinking, like a voiceover on a movie. Explaining._

**For us younger ones, this is all we've ever known**.

Inside one of the taller, worn buildings, a girl with flowing, red-brown hair was climbing up a winding stairwell.

**My family goes back to before the Regime took power, before the Joker ruled everything.**

She stopped to breathe, then gritted her teeth and kept going.

**We're one of Gotham's oldest families, but also one of the ones hit hardest when it all went down.**

She came to a door at the top of the stairs, and fumbled for a key.

**They took my parents away for questioning, and they never came back. They left me my grandfather because of his age and his wheelchair.**

She opened the door, sliding out onto the chilly, tinted air, her breath forming white clouds.

**They thought that would stop us. We admitted to nothing, but we actually were guilty of subverting their rule**.

She started toward something large, covered with a sheet, that was anchored to the roof.

**They tried to destroy it. Brought in a crane, a wrecking ball, nothing worked. So they hoped people would just forget about it if they closed the area off, and kept it under guard.**

**My family made it our duty to ensure that no one forgot.**

She walked to a lever that sat beside it, dusting it off.

**It became tradition that, every night, one of us who could would sneak in, climb the stairwell...**

She grabbed a handful of sheet, yanking it off as she gave the lever a grinding pull with her other hand, and the metal contraption blazed with power.

**... And turn on the light**.

The Bat Signal glowed in the sky, bright against the dark clouds.

**It's not even for him anymore. My grandfather says that there's no way he'd allow Gotham to be decimated like this. So it's not for him. It's for the Regime, a reminder that they cannot break us. It's for ones who still remember...**

In what looked like a crummy retirement home, an aged man with two canes and a thin mustache dragged himself up from his chair to the window to watch the bat silhouette.

**For ones who know the truth...**

In a dingy, abandoned warehouse, a young man with messy, bleach blond hair and a tired face face stood by the warped glass window, his hands in his pockets, staring at the spot of light in the sky.

**For the ones who believe...**

In a run-down old house, another elderly man in a wheelchair with a thick mustache turned and moved so that the light was framed in the window.

**For the ones who persevere...**

A dark-skinned man with fading white hair and tired eyes, looked out a window from a threadbare arm chair at the symbol in the sky.

**For the ones who are fighting...**

A thin man with long, dark hair and a sharp-featured face looked up from a desk through an arched, gothic-paned window.

**And, perhaps most of all... It's for ****_them_**.

A shadow, not part of the usual nightly darkness, flitted across the roofs of buildings. A group of thuggish thieves, escaping with their plunder, ran laughing down a street before suddenly skidding to a halt. There was a silhouette crouched on one of the arches over the road, staring down at them with eyes that seemed to glow blue in the dim light. They faltered for a moment, then one man went for a gun.

"That won't work." Growled a voice, and they all whirled. Standing in the shadows several feet behind them was another figure, in a long cape, two points issuing from the head. They stood in shock for a moment before one of the men began to cry out.

"See? **See**? I **told** you I'd seen him, didn't I? I **told** you! It's **Batman**!"

"Batman's **dead**." Snarled the leader of the group.

"True," Said the cloaked figure, stepping into the watery light, "But that just means you have to deal with **me**." The man gaped.

The figure was a woman.

She was tall, statuesque, and dark, with high cheekbones under her mask. She had strange eyes, one blue and one greenish-gold, that were narrowed into intense slits, and as she tossed her cape aside to free her arms, they could see that she was built like a fighter, lean and muscled. She wore a black bodysuit underneath, one that carried the glint of weapons. She wore a belt that was, indeed, similar to Batman's, with high-heels that seemed to be part of the suit fabric. Her mask did feature to points atop her head, but it was more open to allow for her long, slightly curly, black hair. As they stared at her, the other figured laughed lightly, backflipping down from the arch it crouched upon to land and step into the light itself. She wore a bodysuit and leather vest with no sleeves, a thick, high turtleneck pulled up all the way to cover her nose and mouth. A pair of blue tinted googles that looked distinctly like night vision ones covered her eyes, and her wedge-heeled boots were leather as well, and a pair of black escrima sticks were strapped to her thigh. Her hair was longer and less wavy than the other woman's tied in a high ponytail near the top of her head that reached to the center of her back. She wasn't as muscled either, but slim, built more for speed than strength. Though she wore fingerless gloves, the reason for her bare arms was on the inside of her forearms.

In precise, black ink, the Bat symbol and another bird-like silhouette were tattooed onto her arms. The men turned to look at her as well.

"So the rumors are true." Commented the leader. "That Gotham has some new '_guardian angels_,'" He spat the words, "Nightingale and Huntress." The taller of the two, in the cape, laughed mirthlessly.

"I wouldn't call us angels." She said in her deep voice, then jerked her chin at the other woman. "Nightingale." Despite the cloth that covered her mouth, Nightingale's face seemed to twitch with a smile. She gracefully backflipped into the air again, landing atop the shoulders of the leader, seizing him by his shirt collar, and jumping off again, this time swinging him through the air and slamming him down on the cement when she landed. Two of the others started forward to help him, but ran straight into the woman who had to be Huntress, who floored them both easily with conventional punches. The fight went quickly, as both the women were clearly well-trained, and the thieves were anything but. After returning the stolen goods, the two retired to the roofs. Huntress stood at the edge of one, gazing at the enormous 'J' tower in the distance. Nightingale came up beside her.

"It's been quiet tonight." The smaller woman said, lifting her goggles off her eyes-which were piercingly sky blue.

"Quiet always means that they're gearing up for something." Huntress responded, wrapping her cape around her in a very Batman way. Nightingale planted her hands on her hips.

"Let's head home, Hunt. Standing around staring at it isn't gonna make it come down." Huntress continued to watch the monstrosity of metal for another moment, then tore her eyes away.

"You're right, Night. Let's head home."

_They were silent for awhile._

_"Uh... I found the Joker?" Kid Flash proposed, shrugging nervously. Nightwing and Batman were completely silent, prompting Kaldur and Superman to go stand beside them respectively._

_"This is where it started." Said J'onn. "Perhaps this will be where it ends."_

The doors of the Batcave opened to reveal the two women, still in costume. Huntress headed straight in, while Nightingale hung back to secure the door. Suddenly, the taller woman froze.

"... What are **you** doing here?" She demanded sharply. The man sitting in the seat in front of the computer looked over and rose. He wore a black tee-shirt under a brown leather jacket and black sneakers beneath blue jeans, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Hey now, no need to get snippy..." She strode forward. They were the same height, allowing her to get in his face.

"I've **told** you-"

"My family is dead to you. I know, I know. I still think you're being unreasonable."

"Tell that to my mother." He winced.

"Okay, maybe I deserved that."

"Deserved what?" Nightingale had arrived, taking off her goggles to reveal a pair of alarmingly familiar blue eyes. "Oh, hey Jordan." She paused, looking between them and their tense statures. "... He my uncle yet?" Huntress let out a growl of frustration, shoving around Jordan to stalk off. Nightingale sighed. "Sorry." Jordan clapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, kid. So, tell me, how's school?" The girl shrugged, crossing over to a glass case near the stairs.

"Same old, same old. **Everyone** knows who I am nowadays."

"I heard you made the gymnastics team. No surprise there."

"Yeah, me and Emily Gordon." She took her hair out of the ponytail, shaking it out. "Hey, you want tea or something after I change?" He shook his head.

"Nah. I gotta take the bus back to Smallville. Ma needs my help on the farm."

"You could always fly." He shook his head.

"I don't want to use my powers Hale, you know that." He turned to go, then paused, looking after Huntress. "... You think your aunt will ever forgive me?" She followed his gaze.

"I don't know, Jordan. I just don't know."

It was a while later, Gotham's two new heroes sitting in front of the main fireplace of Wayne Manor, both in civilian clothes, a fire raging in the hearth.

"Aunt Helena?" The girl asked, making her aunt raise her head.

_Though he said nothing, Batman was thoroughly surprised. Huntress looked exactly like Selena Kyle, also known as Catwoman, but with one blue eye and one of the cat-like golden green ones. From the arched, thin eyebrows to the straight nose and full lips, she was practically a dead ringer._

_He had a feeling he knew where this was going._

"Yes, Haley?"

"Do you ever think you're being hard on Jordan?" The older woman sighed, turning to look into the fire.

"... It's hard to explain, honey. If his father had come that day... Your grandma might not be dead." Haley sighed, curling into her arm chair and hugging her knees.

"So why take it out on **him**? He's the same age as you." Helena stood in a rustle of silk, smoothing the calf-length black dress she was wearing.

"Like I said, Hales. It's hard to explain." She crossed to the window, gazing out of it. They were silent for a moment.

"Waiting for Jay to call?" Haley asked. Helena looked back at her.

"No. I think he had a date tonight."

"With the Isley girl?" Helena looked back at the window.

"Yes."

"I remember her. Ivy's daughter." Haley stretched and yawned. "What about Ivan? He calling tonight?"

"I don't believe so."

"Then I'm going to bed. I've got school in the morning, you know." She stood, trudging out of the room. Helena waited until a door closed upstairs, then took out a cellphone, dialing and putting it to her ear.

"Ivan Fries? It's Helena Kyle-Wayne."

_Those who didn't spend time maintaining a stoic persona had their mouths hanging open. Nightwing and Batman exchanged a look, while Robin and Batgirl thought about the implications of the name._

_"You marry _**_Catwoman_**_?" Batgirl wondered. "Well, can't exactly say it's surprising..." Robin elbowed her._

_"Fries? As in, _**_Victor_**_ Fries? Why would _**_your_**_ daughter be calling someone related to _**_Dr. Freeze_**_?" Superman wanted to know._

_"The boy called Sniper said that Dr. Freeze was one of the eight that fought _**_against_**_ the Joker." Wonder Woman pointed out. "Perhaps that is why. Perhaps he had a change of heart." J'onn nodded._

_"It's entirely possible. We'll just have to wait and see..."_


	7. The Shadows Of Gotham: Villains' Legacy

**_Sooo... Second half. I really should not be up this late... Anyway, this next chapter promises to be a LONG one. We got a LOT to cover coming up here, so hang on tight!_**

* * *

The scene revealed the blond young man seen when the Bat Signal turned on, now returned to a half-moldy couch that had been set up in a corner of the warehouse. He appeared to have set up a small room among the mess that filled it, complete with a bare-bulb lamp, and partially rotted wooden table and chair. He was lying on the couch, his feet up on one of the arm rests, a phone to his ear.

"Yeah, Hel. You need something?"

"Has there been anything from Atlantis?"

"Signal went out few hours back. Sniper and Archer picked up Black Lagoon Girl and AquaLady in Star City. FlashQueen said they're giving them the low-down."

"How are they?"

"Not good. They had to abandon the city and fall back to a failsafe location, one they won't disclose. Apparently they're all in a uproar. Garth's been declared temporary Commander. He'll give us what he can, but his priority is his people."

"Has Derek had any luck with his research?"

"You know how it is. Once a Strange, always a Strange. Won't say he's done with something until he finds five way to do it and seven to **un**do it." He sighed. "He'll get around to it eventually."

"We're running out of time."

"I know. Believe me, I know. I'll have Yukita go over there. **That** always improves his work ethic." He ruffled his hair. "How are you two doing? You hear about the..." He paused, dropping his voice. "... The movie?"

"How could I not? It's been all over the news. Poor Haley can't even walk down the hallway in school without people calling her 'that Grayson kid.'"

"She okay?"

"She is. That stint with the circus she did really helped her achieve some sort of inner peace."

"You okay?" There was a silence.

"... This... This whole thing has taken so much from us both, Ivan. It... It's hard to come to terms with it." He nodded.

"I know. Believe me, I know. Watching our parents die, seeing what the world has become... But it's up to us to turn it around, Hel. You know that." There was a sigh on the other end of the phone. "My father and mother gave their lives for the world. Your mother gave hers to protect you. Your father died protecting the resistance - they all did it for a **cause**. We have to uphold that ideal." His phone beeped. "Gah, sorry. Call coming in on another line."

"That's fine, Ivan. And... Thank you. Talking to you often helps me feel better." She hung up and he switched to the other call.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ivan." The woman's voice was lightly accented.

"Geez, is every girl in Gotham calling me tonight? But speak of the devil; Yukita, I need you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

"Go kick Derek Strange around a bit. We needed the results of his tests yesterday." The girl laughed.

"Alright. I will. But don't blame me if he has a broken nose next time you see him. He irritates me so."

"I know, but you certainly make him more productive. I think he's frightened of you."

"He should be. I'll talk to you after that, Mr. Fries."

"Sure thing, Miss Li." He hung up, dropping the phone onto his stomach and sighing. "These are the times when we are traitors, and do not know ourselves..." He climbed off the couch, pulling a pair of old sneakers on and donning a leather jacket before picking his way through the broken furniture and mess that cluttered the path to the door, pulling it open and slipping out into the dark street, still muttering to himself. "Then again, when you're a wanted man, you know yourself fairly well."

_"So... He's Dr. Freeze's _**_son_**_?" Kid Flash wondered._

_"So it would appear." Said Aquaman. "But he also seems to be one of the leaders of this revolution."_

_"Lends credence to the 'change of heart' theory..." Batgirl commented. Robin was frowning._

_"Li... Li...Where have I heard that name before?"_

_"Black Mask has an assistant by the name of Li, a Miss Li. However I don't believe her first name is Yukita." Batman interrupted._

_"It appears we're about to find out." Said the Flash, indicating the changing scene before them._

The house was oddly regimental, straight, serious, and angular. Despite this, the young woman tucking her phone into her bag looked like she belonged in it. She was small, with Asian features and black hair that was done up in a tight bun atop her head. She stood, her dark wash jeans, calf-high black boots and black leather jacket emphasizing her slender figure. She sighed, shouldering the black bag and turning to trot down the stairs.

"Mom? Dad?" Hers was the accented voice that had come over the phone in Ivan Fries's warehouse. "I'm going out."

"You sure, honey?" Asked a man's voice, and then Black Mask himself appeared in the doorway of one of the rooms.

"Let her go." Said a woman's voice, and he groaned.

"Alright, you two." He looked back at Yukita. "Be back for dinner." She turned around before rolling her eyes.

"Yes, sir." She told him, and headed out the door. Outside, she walked with quick, even steps down the streets, eventually arriving at building much less well-kept than her own house. In fact, it looked like it was falling down. She pushed the door open gently. "Hello?" No answer. She groaned, but headed straight up the stairs to a room in the back, pausing when she saw flashes of light coming from under the door. "Derek?" She called, knocking. "It's Yukita Li." She heard 'Come in' before some muffled yelling got in the way. Opening the door, she stepped inside. The young man who turned to face her was a little funny looking, so to speak. His dark brown eyes had a tendency to stray away from the person he was trying to talk to, and it seemed highly likely that, if one looked closely, one of his eyebrows was higher than the other. He had a long nose, a mess of brown hair that was jumping out from beneath a pair of goggles, which were shoved atop his head, his look completed by a white lab coat over jens and a tee-shirt. His bottom lip looked like he chewed it a lot, and his thin mouth appeared to be slightly crooked. Tall and gangly, in many ways he was the exact opposite of pretty, petite Yukita. She set her bag down by the door. "What are you doing? Researching how to create a rainbow?"

"No, but that's an interesting proposition, as rainbows are - wait, were you making fun of me?"

"**Always**, Derek." She told him sweetly, coming over to look at the array of vials and machines that littered the table in the middle of the room. "So, what are these?" She reached out to prod what looked like two floating coffee droplets, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't touch things if you don't know what they do."

"It looks like floating coffee."

"It's... I... Okay, that's what it **is**, but you should be more careful." She leaned sideways to examine the coffee drops.

"How are they floating?"

"After the rainbow comment, I'm not telling you." He strode around to the other side of the table, focusing on something else, but she straightened, following him.

"Oh, come on. Your pride can't wounded **that** badly by a few rainbows." He turned to face her again.

"Why are you even here?"

"Ivan sent me. Said that they needed your test results yesterday."

"He could have just called me."

"Maybe he's hoping we'll hook up and become best buddies."

"You keep that sarcastic tone up, it's **never** gonna happen." Both of them seemed to very suddenly realise they were leaning toward each other and jerked back with sounds of disgust. Derek moved away again, putting the table back between them as he went to a counter of the far side of the room. "Besides, I don't think 'I. Freeze' has time to that invested in our relationship."

"I wasn't aware we were in a relationship."

"You know what I mean, an way in which two people are connected." She rolled her eyes, leaning on the table.

"The test results?" He sighed, turning again to leaning on the counter.

"Nothing. At least, nothing we didn't already know. They've combined their strengths. The Kobra-Venom gas that made Sniper fast-forward in time? It's a toxin meant to amplify a genetic anomaly that already exists in a subject."

"So Sniper had it, but his parents didn't."

"Right. And if you **don't** have a form of that specific anomaly-"

"-It poisons you." She sighed. "So, we're still at square one. Don't inhale gas." He nodded.

"I... Suppose." She sighed, rolling her eyes and walking to the door, grabbing her bag on the way out. She paused with the door open.

"You can stop staring." He flinched.

"What, do you have eyes in the back of you're head now?" It was interesting to note he made no attempt to deny that he had been staring. Which he had. She stepped over the threshold, then faced him again.

"**That** is your department." She started to close the door, then stopped. "Oh, and Derek? In your lonely, pathetic dreams." She closed it in his face, and the sound of her high heeled boots could be heard as she stalked down the hallway. He stayed still for a moment, then rocked back on his heels thoughtfully. Then he shook his head, turning back to his work, but not without a small smile.

"**Damn**, I love that woman."

"_Okay, I think I got this." Bart was saying. "Dr. Strange's kid, and Black Mask's!" Wally karate chopped him on the head._

_"Like that wasn't obvious." Green Arrow was stroking his goatee thoughtfully._

_"Hm... So it seems at least three villain's children are secretly helping the good guys." Black Canary nodded._

_"Just how crazy is this going to get?" As if to answer her, the scene changed again..._

"My point is, Jay, that you've never **said** it!" The girl was tall, with an hourglass figure and long, flowing red hair. She was dressed in a sweater and pleated skirt that were both matching shades of green, and her hair was braided with leaves and flowers. She was altogether beautiful, with full lips and a straight nose under large, luminous green eyes. The man sitting beside in the evening air was not exactly in the same league in physical appearance, but there was sparkle of wit in his dark eyes that made his jagged features seem softer and more friendly - in fact, he was hardly recognisable as the brunet who had been watching the light through the window. They were sitting in rather barren park, the 'J' tower still looming overhead. He was dressed in a designer jacket and collared shirt, black dress pants and shoes, while she had on a pair of green wedge sandals. He put an arm around her, grinning teasingly.

"Said what?"

"That you love me."

"Maybe I say it all the time, and you're not listening." She poked him in the side, making him flinch back. "Oh, come now, Holly." She pretended to be indignant, rising and striding off. He quickly followed. "Do I get slack for my family situation? My parents never once said they loved each other in my lifetime. My mother **left** my father when she learned she was pregnant." Holly Isley instantly relented.

"Point. I was a bulb. Don't exactly have a father."

"Well you do-"

"Yes. Some guy my mother stole DNA from." Jay sighed. He put an arm around her waist, and they walked down the path together.

"We're weird people, Hol. All of us. We're all here for different reasons, but we're all going to **stay** here, so we might as well make the most of it." She smiled at him. They walked in silence for awhile, the wind stirring some dried leaves beneath their feet before she put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"I have to go, Jay. Mom is **insane** when I break curfew. Well, she's insane **anyway**, but..."

"I get it."

"Great night, though. I had a lot of fun." He smiled at her gently, and they walked to the park entrance. There they kissed softly before whispering good night and walking in separate directions. Holly kept going until she came to an enormous building with a greenhouse attached, pulling out a key and entering the main structure. "Mom? I'm home?"

"Holly?" Poison Ivy, in civilian clothes, appeared in the hall, hugging the girl tightly. "How was your date?"

"Good. Jay's sweet as ever."

"Not surprising, family he comes from."

"Yeah." When her mother's back was turned, Holly's expression turned sad. "Family he comes from..."

* * *

Jay approached another house, this one grader and larger than Holly's. He hesitated outside, staring up at the stars from the porch, then turned to the door, unlocking it carefully and tiptoeing inside. He slipped into the kitchen, walking to the refrigerator and opening it carefully like he thought it might explode. Abruptly, he slammed the door with no care whatsoever.

There was a brief glimpse of a severed head resting in the top shelf.

"There is a **head** in the **fridge**!" Jay called, leaning on the appliance to catch his breath.

"Well, yes, of course." Said a strange voice from the other room. "Where else was I going to put it?" Jay moaned loudly, jerking away from the fridge to move to the doorway of the other room. Whatever he saw in there, however, made him cover his mouth and turn away.

"Did you bring your work home with you again?" A wild cackle rose from the room, and Jay took a step back, the floor stained with red.

"That's the fun part!" A gurgled sound that was quite human wafted through the door way, and Jay made the decision to run for it. He made it to the bottom of the stairs when the sing-song voice came again. "Jaaaay?" It called cheerfully. On the fourth step, he stopped, turning slowly. "I have a queeeeeeeeestion." Jay swallowed.

"... Yes?" There was the sound of hard-soled shoes on the wooden floor as the speaker followed him into the hall.

"Why don't you call me 'Dad,' like the rest of the kiddies call **their** daddies?" The Joker asked, grinning up at the young man. Jay visibly paled, and his mouth moved for several moments before words came out.

"... I... I'll think about it." With that, he fled up the stairs and into a bedroom in the attic, slamming the door closed and leaning against it, panting. finally, he straightened, going over and collapsing into his desk chair. Reaching over, he selected one of a set of pictures on his desk, stroking the frame gently. "My name is Jay Quinnzel." He murmured quietly to the cheerful, waving blond woman. "My **name** is Jay **Quinnzel**!" He tossed it angrily back onto the desk, standing beginning to pace, still muttering to himself. "Just go over it all in your head, Jay. Just go over it. Keep all of it straight." He sat down on his bed. "Go over it all..."

* * *

Ivan Fries stopped in front of two unmarked mound in Gotham's cemetery, folding his arms and rocking back on his heels.

"Mom, Dad. I won't let you down." He sat cross-legged on the dead grass. "I still remember that day..."

* * *

Helena had been awakened by Haley calling for her late in the night. Nightmares again. This time, however, the girl wanted to talk.

"Jack told me we had to get it all out of our systems!" She insisted. "You start." With a loud sigh, Helena conceded...

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: 'How It All Began' And then plot! I hope!


	8. How It All Began

_**You thought I was setting up something with Ivan and Jay as well, didn't you? Hahahahaha! Psych! Anyway, I realised that they had the more 'plot driving' tale, so I'm going to work it in differently. This is the last one of these types of chapters! I hope!**_

_**Something else: This story has been twenty times more popular than I thought it was going to be. Which shows you how UNpopular I thought it was going to be. To everyone out there who has been **_**_reviewing/following/favouriting/just plain reading this, thank you so much. You people are putting more smiles in my day, and you are all wonderful. Thank you so much._**

**_WARNING: There IS some mention of violence and torture in this chapter, a little more specifically than the others, I feel I tried to keep it down, but I figure I should warn you anyway._**

* * *

**Helena Kyle-Wayne/Huntress**:

I was playing outside with some of my friends when it happened. All of us had seen the green mist at one time or another, and we all knew what it meant.

Joker Raids.

"I'm going to tell my parents!" I told the others, and ran back to the house. My father and brothers were already in the foyer, your mother behind them. As they stormed the house, she ushered me back, summoning the nanobots that made up her suit and telling me to go find your grandmother. I nodded, racing off to my parents' wing of the house. I was glad then for the training I had insisted on being allowed to undergo, dodging the mad-faced soldiers as they tried to smash through the windows into our house. I skidded to a halt in front of the door to my parents room, bursting in.

"Mother-" I froze. My mother was backed up against the wall, and standing between her and the door was a tall, shapely woman with long, flowing dark brown hair, even longer than my mother's black. She turned to look at me with imperious black eyes, so unlike Mother's kind green ones. She wore a green mandarin dress, and was carrying all sorts of weapons. I faltered back a step. "Mother..." The woman started to advance on me, going for a knife, but my mother's Russian accent broke in.

"Talia, let her go!" I'd heard the name before. Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ras al Ghul. An assassin and someone who had been eternally jealous of my mother. She turned back to look at Mother as she kept talking. "Please, she's just a child. Let her go, and I'll tell you what you want to know." Talia hesitated, then turned to me again.

"You heard your mother." She growled coldly. "Get out." I looked to Mother, who smiled gently.

"It's okay, darling. Go find your father." I nodded, turned, and raced out, running as fast as my legs could carry me towards the front of the house. I found Father there, helping the rest of our family fend off the raiders.

"Father!" I screamed. "**Father**!" He turned and saw me. "There's one in your room!" I saw his eyes go wide with horror.

"Selena!" He chocked out my mother's name, then dashed past me at the fastest I had ever seen him run. I couldn't even keep up. In the end, it didn't matter.

We were both too late. When we got there, Talia al Ghul was gone, and so was Mother.

Things were quiet for awhile after that, but the resistance was still strong, and they were still certain that my father had something to do with it. They couldn't risk leaving us a lone for very long. When they came again, Father wasn't home, nor were your parents, my oldest brother and his wife. It was my youngest brother that met them in the foyer.

"Where is Mr. Wayne?" The lead soldier asked.

"He's not here right now. I'm his youngest son, Timothy Drake, this is my wife Stephanie. Can I help you?"

"We need to talk to Mr. Wayne?"

"He's not here. Perhaps I can take a message?" The soldier looked around.

"Why should we believe you that he isn't here?"

"Why would I lie about something like that? I can show you around the house to prove it." The soldier shook his head.

"That won't be necessary." He tilted his head. "But about that message..." He promptly pulled out a gun and shot my brother six times in the head, right there on the foyer steps. When my sister-in-law screamed, they gunned her down, too. I grabbed you and their daughter Connie by the collars, pulling you all the way up to the attic closet, trying to stifle Connie's cries for her parents. We huddled there, listening to the soldiers trudge about the house below us. But we knew they wouldn't give up until they found us, and suddenly, Connie detached herself from me.

"Mommy and Daddy were heroes." She told me tearfully. "I gotta be, too." And before I could grab her, she dashed out of the closet, running downstairs. After a few minutes of absolute, terrible silence, I heard the gunshots, then the soldiers leaving the house. We stayed up there until my father came and got us, pulling me into his arms and stroking my hair. Your mother climbed up behind him and collected you, rocking you in her arms. I saw my eldest brother come in behind them, wiping something off his hands.

"Dick?" He just shook his head. It had to be bad, when not even he had something to say.

**Haley Grayson/Nightingale**:

After what happened to Connie, Mom was reluctant to let me out of her sight, not even willing to merely leave nanobots behind to watch me - a mark of extreme paranoia for Quantum. She took me everywhere, from shopping to work to going out with friends. People liked to joke about it, but she was entirely serious. She refused to allow me to even go to the **bathroom** alone. I always had to be somewhere she could see me, even when Dad was with us. It bothered me a little, but every time we went into the house through the back door because no one had the heart to go through the foyer where the blood had dried on the stairs (none of us had the heart to go in and clean it up); I was reminded of the very, **very** credible reasons why it was happening. In fact, Mom's new paranoia scared me, deep down. As a woman who had had her DNA infused with constantly-multiplying nanobots that she often left to be her eyes an ears everywhere, it was strange to see her not even trusting **them**, who were in many ways as much a part of her as her own two eyeballs. This level of obsessiveness was entirely unlike her.

And it **still** didn't save her life.

She had taken me to the grocery store, wandering the aisles and constantly looking over her shoulder. I remember the exact moment the shot rang out. Later, I would be able to reason that that her nanobots didn't warn her because something was interfering with their sensors, but at the time, I was only old enough to understand that they were victims, too. The bullet hit her in the centre of the back, then released some sort of electric charge that swept over her body, her suit appearing then turning white as the bots shorted out and died. As she collapsed, I remember dropping the bag of ice she had just handed to me and running to her side, already crying before my knees hit the ground. She was still breathing when I reached her, but the bullet had pierced an artery close to her heart, and she bled out quickly. It was horrible, how long we stayed there, me crying and her dead, until someone stopped - and then, it was only someone I recognised: Barbara Gordon and her husband. People continued to just walk right past us, as if a child screaming by her mother's corpse was not even worth a glance. Mrs. Gordon called Dad, and he got there faster than should have been humanly possible. Grandpa came to, and together, they got her home. After that, it was Dad who refused to let me out of his sight unless I was with you or Grandpa. We buried Mom on Grandma's left hand in the family tomb, and now I was more than willing to stay close to my family.

But, in the end, that didn't help them, either.

**Helena**:

The final time they came, it was raining. Not pouring, but a little, depressing drizzle. I remember we were all rather mechanical at breakfast that morning. Perhaps, somehow, Dick and Father knew that something was coming, something bad. They always were so hyper-aware of everything. Maybe there was some trick to counting the days between attacks, maybe it was just a feeling in the air. But neither of them said anything, not even when I bid them good morning and hugged them both. The first half of the day was tranquil, if mournful.

It was noon when they came.

This time, they didn't even bother pulling punches. They just burst into the house, dragging my brother and father outside. When you ran after them, I followed, grabbing you right before you ran out into harm's way. The man himself came this time, determined to get his answers about the resistance. Given that stoicism runs in our family, it was no surprise that he didn't get any, but his knowledge of Father's weaknesses still did terrible damage.

I don't like to remember what they did to my brother to try and get Father to talk, despite how deeply it's etched into my memory. It was a credit to Dick that he never once screamed, no matter how excruciating the pain must have been. It occurred to me later that he and Father were likely communicating in that tacit, subtle way of theirs. Maybe, if they'd had more time, they could have devised some way to escape. But there wasn't enough time for anything.

My brother died slowly and painfully - tortured to death.

It was like Father felt it the moment Dick's heart stopped, because he suddenly broke free of the soldiers restraining him and raced to his son's side, pulling him into his arms and shaking him the way he had shaken my mother. It was then that he spoke for the first and last time that day.

"Dick."

Just my brother's name in one, single, grieving breath. Then, because they no longer had any leverage, they shot him in the back of the head. That was when I ran, pulling you into my arms and fleeing into shadows of Gotham. We stayed with friends, keeping our heads down, until they gave up. Until we thought it was safe to return. But we couldn't let Gotham forget its heroes. So, when the time came and you were old enough, **we** donned the masks and became the guardians of the city, however infected it might be...

But now we know we're not alone. We **will** turn this around. We are the ones who stand for those who cannot.

We fight in the names of those who have died and disappeared.

_There was a large amount of jaw-dropping. Robin threw his arms around Nightwing's waist in an uncharacteristically affectionate gesture, while Batgirl just went over and stood close between him and Batman. After a moment of hesitation, the Dark Knight reached over and put an arm around his oldest protégé's shoulders. While it was merely a set of simple actions, the rest of the group felt an overwhelming urge to look away._

_"Wow." Said Kid Flash quietly. "Just... Wow." Wonder Woman bowed her head Wonder Girl mimicking her, and the Martians reacted similarly. Superman clapped a hand on Superboy's shoulder gently. A tense silence filled the space between them._

_"They have much to fight for." Aquaman said, finally breaking it. "Perhaps that will help them win."_

* * *

**Next Chapter: 'Morning In The Den'**


	9. Morning In The Den

_**Oh my god, oh my god you guys!**_

_**I have TEN Followers on this thing? TEN? I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!**_

_**We're also over 20,000 words-kickin' ass here!**_

_**Anyway, here's the next chapter; I'm sorry about the, I got a little distracted, watching too much bad anime and all that.**_

* * *

Dawn was just breaking through the trees when Ivan Fries reached the tree-village, nestled deep within the heart of the forest, it appeared. He wore some sort of high tech cryogenics suit, his face covered by a silver mask that appeared to operate as some sort of breathing apparatus. Still, his blue eyes were visible as feathers fluttered above him, and a helmeted, winged young man landed before him.

"May the Gods of Olympus Rest the Eight." He recited calmly, and the man bowed slightly.

"Welcome, I. Freeze. I'm afraid none of the others are awake or here yet."

"That's not a problem. I just wanted to check in with the database. You can return to your rounds, Hawk." Hawk nodded, and, with a few beats of his wings, was back in the air, soaring up to the tree tops. I. Freeze continued forward, entering an elevator that was cleverly concealed within a tree trunk to reach the canopies that were hidden among the leaves and branches. He navigated the paths and bridges easily, coming to a large tree that he entered by scanning his handprint. Inside was an array of slightly unconventional electronics that were carefully arranged. Most of the wall was given to a large screen that sprang to life when he approached the keyboard, typing in a code. A long list popped up on one side of the screen, a mass of names and other identifications. I. Freeze selected a few as he scrolled, causing them to enlarge on the other side of the screen, complete with a full body projection of the subject. Some of them were recognisable:

_Name: Gale Harper_

_Alias: Sniper II_

_Location: Star City_

_Status: Active_

_..._

_Name: Megan Kent_

_Alias: SuperAnima_

_Location: Metropolis_

_Status: Active_

While others still were not:

_Name: Ella Jordan_

_Alias: Bright Phantom_

_Location: Earth_

_Status: Active_

___..._

_Name: Greg Allen_

_Alias: Speedy_

_Location: Central City_

_Status: Active_

But there were one or two that stood out for a certain reason:

_Name: Serena Logan_

_Alias: SheBeast_

_Location: Bialya_

_Status: Deceased_

___..._

_Name: Davinia_

_Alias: Wonder Knight_

_Location: Themyscera_

_Status: Deceased_

"Looking at it again won't help." Rasped a voice from the door. I. Freeze turned. Framed in the early morning light was a tall, leanly muscled figure in a long, dark purple trench coat.

On his face, however, was a creepy, blood spattered clown mask.

Freeze stepped away from the console. "Mr. J." J came to stand beside him.

"Don't think I haven't tried it. The ones who are dead stay dead, the ones who are alive..." For a moment, they gazed together at the list. "Remember when we first met?" I. Freeze chuckled grimly.

"And I was so concerned about showing this to you." He sighed, continuing to go through the list as they spoke. Helena Kyle-Wayne and Haley Grayson made brief appearances, as did a Jordan Kent whose location was listed as Smallville and his status Inactive. They finally paused over two of the profiles, which I. Freeze zoomed out to split their half of the screen in two:

_Name: Giavanna Zatara_

_Alias: WonderG_

_Location: Egypt_

_Status: Active_

___..._

_Name: Inza Zatara/Nabu_

_Alias: Dr. Fate_

_Location: Unknown_

_Status: Unknown_

"Did WonderG check in?"

"Not yet. Finding Dr. Fate is probably harder than it sounds." Mr. J laughed, and it was rather disturbing.

"Yeah. Nabu's never around when you **want** him." There was a click behind them that announced a new arrival. A tiny woman in what appeared to be samurai gear with a shiny, blank black mask pulled over her face came over.

"Dr. Strange II says that we're back to square one with the tests." Mr. J sighed.

"Wonderful. We're going to need more samples now, I suppose, Black Mask II?" She merely nodded. He turned away, taking a few paces in the other direction thoughtfully. "Alright. I. Freeze, get in contact with Archer and Sniper II. I want them here as soon as possible." He turned back around. "Also, contact Huntress. Not Nightingale-she's got school. Just Huntress. We'll split into teams. I'll explain when they get here." Both of them went to obey him instantly, shutting off the screen and moving to another part of the room. Lights flared on, and I. Freeze pulled on a pair of headphones. He tapped something into the console, pulling the microphone to his mouth.

"Eye, Arrow, and Dark Lady; your presence is required. I repeat, Eye, Arrow, and Dark Lady; your presence is required." While he finished, Mr. J motioned to Black Mask II, and together they went back outside, heading to another large tree that concealed a meeting room that featured a table in the centre, carved out of the wood of the tree. J collapsed into one of the chairs while the second Black Mask paced around the room, and together they waited.

The sun had climbed slightly higher in the sky when the others arrived, Huntress first, then Archer and Sniper II. When they were all there, Mr. J began with very little ceremony.

"We have yet to make a break through with our research on the gases they're using." The others, scattered around the room, watched him intently. "However, I have recently been informed that we are in need of more samples. I called you here because you're some of our best, because I want this done quickly." He stood. "We'll split into teams. Archer and Sniper II will of course be one-you two will take the Science Centre outside Central City. Archer at least knows the area some. Huntress and I will take the one near Gotham. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Archer said, **then** raised his hand. "Why are we doing this during the day?"

"Well, first off, we need these samples as soon as possible, and second, we've been doing so many hits at night, they assume that that's when we operate. There'll be less guards, element of surprise and all that." Archer nodded, lowering his hand. Mr. J briefly waited to see if there was anything else, then nodded. "Alright. Off we go."

* * *

"You know, I wouldn't mind sleeping through the night once in awhile." Archer muttered as he and Sniper II walked to the edge of the tree-top town.

"You're the one who was complaining about doing this during the day." His companion pointed out. "Besides, you sleep like a log anyway."

"What do you know about how I sleep?" Sniper II just chuckled, making Archer glare at him.

"Don't worry about it. This'll be a good warm up."

"For **you**, maybe." He eyed the weapon the other man was loading. "How many guns are you planning on **bringing**, anyway?"

"As many as I need." He flicked the safety back on and tucked the one he held into a holster.

"I think our opinions on that vary." Sniper II shrugged.

"Some people just don't understand. You ready to get going?"

"We taking the bikes?"

"Can't think of a reason not to." They both disappeared behind some dense foliage. Then, there were was a soft purring sound, and two modified motorcycles burst from the undergrowth, streaking along between the trees. Despite both being helmeted, the colour scheme of the bikes was enough to identify which rider was which. They turned in the direction that presumably lead to Central City, and vanished over the horizon.

* * *

Mr. J and Huntress did not bother getting wheels. They took a tree elevator down to a mess of tunnels that appeared to have been dug under the hideout. Huntress pulled a small yet industrial light from her belt.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, what with missing work and all?" J asked her quietly. She nodded.

"I have an excuse not to show up. They released a trailer for the movie yesterday. I think the Wayne Enterprises staff will forgive me calling in sick. It's not like we can do much nowadays anyway." They came to a door, and together pulled it open, climbing a set of stone stairs. They came up through a manhole cover in an alley behind what looked like a bar. They both climbed out, dusting themselves off.

"Alright. Getting **in** should be simple-getting **out** again will be tricky." She nodded, looking at the sky.

"If it were the old days, I could put in a call to the Falcon, but now..." Mr. J sighed.

"If necessary, we can force our way out." She looked sideways at him.

"J... Don't kill anyone." He laughed eerily.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. After all, you're here to stop me, aren't you?"

* * *

Freeze and Black Mask II stood on one of the bridges overlooking the forest floor.

"So... How was Dr. Strange II?" She shrugged.

"The same as always. He never changes." The man laughed.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He looked at her. "This must be hard for you. I mean, your parents are-"

"My parents have chosen their side, and I have chosen mine. I dare say it's the same for Dr. Strange II, The Holly Tree, even Mr. J. We're all following our own paths here; we just have to have faith in where they lead us."

"That was very... Philosophical."

"Thank you." She turned away. "I'll go a few rounds, make sure everything's in order. It'd be just like the Joker Soldiers to sneak into the Den while most of us were gone or asleep." He nodded, and she moved off. He stayed there for awhile, gazing at the rising sun.

"Faith in where they lead us, huh. I suppose that's our best bet at the moment." And then he, too, left the bridge.

_"They seem to be quite organised." Superman said hopefully. M'gann was comforting Beast Boy and reminding him that none of this was _**_actually_**_ happening while the others considered the unfolding events. Wonder Woman was quiet for awhile, bowing her head. Zatanna was staring at the floating form of Dr. Fate. The League put their heads together._

_"Nice to know there's still an Allen kicking around." The Flash commented._

_"Yes. It seems for the many that have died, the others are still carrying on." The vaguely confusing but deep words came from J'onn._

_"So long as they're up to it." Batman growled._

_"_**_I_**_ think they are." Black Canary put in calmly. "If they've made it this long, they can keep it up."_

_"Like what Black Mask II said!" Captain Marvel agreed happily. "Have faith in where their path is taking them."_

* * *

**And there we go. I realise I forgot to put the title of this chapter at the bottom of the last one-I shall rectify that.**

**Next Chapter: 'For Science!'**


End file.
